I don't really think of this as health care reform so much as I think of it as a multi-approach attempt at insurance regulation. And since the Grand Old Party put its fingers in its ears and shouted I'm not listening through the whole process, I really wish the Democrats would have put the public option back in and passed the sucker.

Basically what we have is two businesses -- Doctors and Insurance Companies -- battling over the dollars that consumers -- The Patients -- are putting into the system.

Since a few consumers put up all the money that's in the system, (which is a for-profit model) that money covers all the people who are outside the system but in need of treatment -- The Uninsured.

Now the cost of that is spread out and bolstered by The government (WE THE PEOPLE) through taxes. Since WE THE PEOPLE need services we can not always pay for, and since WE THE PEOPLE have made commitments to the poor and the elderly, WE THE PEOPLE who are in the middle are stuck with sticker shock.

But since WE THE PEOPLE haven't made enough provisions for The Uninsured, the cost for their care is usually passed along to the consumer through inflated prices for services and an increase in premiums. Never. Ending. Cycle.

Now, because the for-profit model benefits the shareholders, WE THE PEOPLE need to take care of the consumers and make sure they get what they pay for.

The mandate to buy insurance isn't the BIG G government telling people how to spend their money so much as it is spreading out the costs for the services WE THE PEOPLE need to afford.

Reforming the health insurance system was necessary to keep the nation fiscally viable in the future. Putting 32 million more people into the health insurance system is the proper thing to do for an enlightened nation. The big challenge is to sell the benefits to the families making more than $88K. The first-shot bennies are obvious--ability to keep your kid on your health plan till 26, no drops in coverage for med changes, etc. But the rest is still hazy and not so obvious.